1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for cleaning, disinfecting, and/or sterilizing conduits, and particularly to cleaning conduits in High Volume Evacuation (HVE) systems, such as those HVE systems found in dental operatories.
2. State of the Art
Dental operatories contain various conduits and equipment to suction debris and fluids from a patient's mouth during tooth cleaning, general dental procedures, and surgical procedures. The various conduits and equipment require periodic flushing or cleaning to resist a buildup of micro-organisms and debris inside the lumens of the dental apparatus. A variety of fluid supply devices have been developed to facilitate cleaning of interior surfaces of the water conduits and equipment. Several of such devices are disclosed in patent literature, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,190; U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,579; U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,672; U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,607; U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,546; U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,523; U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,204; U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,572; U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,060; U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,920; and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,219.
Certain patents (e.g. '190; '523; and '060) disclose the use of venturi devices to withdraw solutions from holding containers. Melon in '579 discloses distributing liquids in liquid form to handpieces, then atomizing the fluid in the handpiece using compressed air. Some references use an entirely different set-up to disinfect dental lines (e.g. Prevost et al. in '204 who disclose pressurized disinfectant solution and a check valve arrangement; and Labib et al. in '572 who teach use of turbulent flow inside the tube.) However, none of the references are believed to contemplate the use of both a venturi device and an atomizing device in combination to better mix and apply atomized or misted cleaning solution to the interior of suction conduits.